Research community

The toolkit identifies the principles that should guide research in care homes and signposts researchers to other, more detailed sources of information.

We suggest that there are five key issues for those wanting to carry out research in care homes:

An appreciation of the potential benefits of research for care home residents, staff, and families;

An understanding of what is different about doing research in care homes; compared with other environments;

Preparation and planning the study;

Carrying out the research study;

Feeding back the results.

Please use the right hand navigation bar to view relevant reports and guidance around designing and delivering your study. You will also find below a number of case studies to help describe how others have approached particular challenges, such as acquiring consent, involving care home managers and gaining staff buy-in.

Case Studies

The case studies illustrate the short-term and long-term benefits to care homes and help staff to understand what is involved. Written by care home staff and researchers, they provide real life examples of the challenges and lessons learned by those involved in research.